Old Friends
by TheOddDuck
Summary: They have a lifetime to catch up on.
It has been thirty years since Sonic last saw Shadow.

He almost didn't recognize him. Well, recognize isn't the right word. Shadow looks the same as he did all those years ago, and that's the problem. Sonic's subconscious expected to see someone affected by time, like him, like everyone else.

But there he stood, examining a box of cereal, no indication of his actual age.

"Shads?"

Shadow turns, a questioning look in his eyes, "Who...?"

"Take a wild guess, buddy."

It takes a second, but he figures it out. "Sonic?"

"In the flesh." Sonic pushes his cart closer to the other's. "Never thought I would find you here."

"Sorry to disappoint, even the Ultimate Lifeform needs sustenance."

The blue hedgehog grabs a box of cereal from the shelf. "Lucky Charms?"

"What can I say, I have a sweet tooth." Shadow places the Lucky Charms into his cart, joining a slew of other grocery items.

"I did too, then I got old."

"Do you have anything on this aisle?"

"Next aisle."

They move to the next aisle. A little girl looks longingly at some snacks.

"No, Shelby." The mother looks absolutely done as she leaves the aisle. Her downtrodden daughter follows behind.

"Reminds me of Manic." A hint of affection, and sadness are in Sonic's voice. He picks up a bag of chips. "Grandkids love these things."

"Wow, grandkids..."

"Yep. Do you want to see them?"

"I would love to."

Sonic grabs his phone, flipping through until he finds the pictures. He hands the phone over to Shadow.

An off purple hedgehog on a bike smiles at the camera. He has a huge scrape on his chin, and wears it like a champ.

"Kid went full speed on his bike down a hill. Hit a rock halfway down and fell on his face. Came home with his face all bloody. I thought Sonia was going to have a heart attack." Sonic chuckles. "Kid ripped the band-aid off the next morning, doing the exact same thing as he did the day before."

"He is your grandkid," Shadow said.

"Ya think he is related to me," He scrolls to the next picture, "Look at her."

The little girl is the spitting image of Sonic. Eye color, quill shape, iconic smirk, she has it all.

"And I thought Manic looked like you."

The color drains from Sonic's face. "Yeah..."

"Is Manic okay?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot you weren't here when-"

"Excuse me," A female cat stands with a hand on her hip, foot _tap tapping_ impatiently, "Could you move."

"Oops, sorry about that." Sonic moves his cart, allowing the lady to get through.

Turning to Shadow, he says, "Let's get away from the chips before someone shanks us. Besides, I need a carton of eggs."

A wheel on Shadow's cart is obnoxiously loud.

"Did something happen to Manic?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"Ran away the day he turned eighteen. Haven't heard from him since."

"I see."

"I wasn't the best father."

"I'm sure you did your best."

"It doesn't matter how good of a father you are, if you aren't good to their mother."

"Your marriage didn't last." It isn't a question.

Sonic moves his left hand out of the other's view. "You would notice I wasn't wearing a ring."

"You and Amy, were so happy last time I saw you. What happened?"

"I put myself...into a box. Yeah, a box."

They are in front of the eggs.

"It's hard to explain," Sonic continues, grabbing a carton, "I mean, the end is easy. It was a messy divorce. Amy didn't talk to me for years, and when she did, it was simply for the children's sake. It was to late, though. We put the kids through hell, using them as bargaining chips to get back at the other. No wonder Manic hates us. I'm surprised Sonia even talks to me."

He isn't one for guns, but he would love to shoot that damn wheel.

"How the whole thing started is where it gets hard."

"Did something go wrong?"

"Nothing went wrong. It was wrong to begin with."

A jug of milk is now in Shadow's cart.

"Remember, how I said I put myself into a box? I believed, that a man like me should marry. Settle down, have a few kids. I wanted that. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't love Amy. At least, not in the way she wanted."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not. I have two wonderful kids. I just wish they weren't put through it all, you know?"

"I do hate to interrupt, but I need canned peas."

"Dude, we were just over there. Now we gotta go all the way back."

"Isn't exercise good for old folks?"

"Haha." Sonic is not amused. "Okay, I have bitched long enough. What have you been up to, Shads?"

"Nothing much."

"It's been thirty years! Something interesting must have happened."

"It's just been Omega and me, floating around."

"That is something! How is the big guy doing?"

"Better. After the fall of Eggman, I thought he would never find purpose again. He has learned to enjoy working on beater up cars and bikes with me, though."

"Never knew a robot could get depressed. Crazy how all he wanted to do was destroy, now he finds meaning rebuilding things."

The two hedgehogs look through the canned aisle. Shadow looking for his peas, and Sonic looks for some canned chili. He wants something for coming back.

"How is Rouge?" Sonic asks.

There is a beat. "...She is happy."

"But there is something else?"

"She is happier without me."

"Oh."

Cans are added to their respective carts.

"I hurt her. She could only take so much."

"Is that why you left?"

"I left partly because of Rouge. Too many bad memories. The other part was watching everyone get older, and staying the same. I had to get away."

"For thirty years?"

A lady in the checkout line looks flabbergasted. Probably wondering the secret to looking so young.

"Would have been longer, if I didn't need to stop in Station Square for supplies." He starts putting his groceries on the conveyor belt. "It's...difficult to see you aged."

Sonic places a divider. "Are you going to stay long?"

"My plan, was to leave as soon as I got my supplies."

Shadow gets change handed back to him.

"That's a shame, the grandkids would love to meet you. And I know Tails needs a new assistant."

Sonic slides his debit card.

"I will..." It's a long pause, an array of emotions on Shadow's face, "Stay for a short while."

"Sweet, man! Come over to Tails' workshop, tomorrow. We can finish catching up then."

As they left, Sonic didn't miss the small smile on Shadow's lips. It was the first.

 **Thank you for reading my oneshot (: It means a lot. If you have any comments and/or any tips to help me improve I would be appreciated.**


End file.
